Feb. 28, 2014

Lauren Day is program manager for the Indianapolis Cultural Trail. / Danese Kenon/The Star

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Women to Know 2014

In 2013, The Star kicked off an experiment to get to know interesting women in Central Indiana, based on the recommendations of the women themselves. Throughout the year, we met an international adoption attorney, a former Pacemate and Colts cheerleader, farm girl-turned-philanthropist, addiction recovery expert and others. This is the second story in our new series, which started in January with Denver Hutt, 26, who runs the Speak Easy, a membership-based “clubhouse” for Indianapolis start-ups and entrepreneurs. Hutt suggested we meet Lauren Day, who will introduce us to the next Woman to Know.

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When Lauren Day was a little girl, some of her friends weren’t allowed to come to her house for birthday parties.

“It was ‘too dangerous to be Downtown,’ ” said Day who grew up in the Lockerbie neighborhood. Except for a yearlong stint in Chicago, it’s the only place she’s ever called home.

“My parents thought that it was very important for their kids to grow up feeling comfortable in an urban environment and aware of how cities work and what that means for all the different kinds of people who live there,” said the North Central High School graduate.

Day, 26, majored in nonprofit management at Indiana University and graduated with a master’s degree in urban planning from Ball State University in 2012.

Now she’s the program manager of Indianapolis Cultural Trail, the nonprofit organization that maintains and promotes the eight-mile trail that runs through the city. She and Executive Director Karen Haley make up the two-person team responsible for the trail and the bike-share program that will launch this spring.

“What I really care about are public spaces and how they’re equitable to all residents,” she said. “Parks and trails are an element of making a city diverse and inclusive. They create a sense of community.”

Day, 26, also volunteers with Dress for Success and People for Urban Progress. She isn’t positive she’ll stay in Indianapolis, but for now, she calls it “one of the most exciting cities to be in.

“There’s so much positive energy behind following what your dreams and interests are and it is incredibly easy to get a meeting with decision-makers,” she said.

Her dream for Downtown Indianapolis

“We need to consider who the people are that live Downtown right now. Who do we want to continue to live Downtown? And it’s not just linear — all incomes. How can we make decisions where we’re not excluding or forgetting a demographic of people that make cities work?

“One part is making sure there is adequate housing for people as they move through different phases of their life. Another is investing in or activating our green spaces. They don‘t have to be huge, just thoughtfully done. Public transit will change the game.”

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Her guilty pleasures

“In the summer, my mom, sister and I get a pedicure every two weeks almost religiously. It’s an absurdly indulgent activity.”

Her role models

“I really admire my grandparents. They fought for the underdog at a time when it was not the status quo .My grandfather was really involved in the civil rights movement, and my grandmother was really involved in Indianapolis Public Schools, so I have this background of ‘change the world’ in my blood.

“To this day, my grandmother drops my grandfather off at any protest or walk that he believes in. He’s ever fighting for a just and fair world.”

The best advice she's ever received

“Someone once said to me, ‘Live boldly.’ For me that’s an internal drive, less in-your-face but more about having bold ideas and being comfortable with them.”

Where she sees herself in five years

“Am I allowed to say somewhere besides Indianapolis? What’s neat about this opportunity I have with the trail is I’m learning about new things that I’m interested in. I really like being outdoors and Indiana has wonderful things to offer, but I would love to live someplace where there’s more of a culture around that — I love Colorado.”